Researchers in Wales lead new study into antibiotic use in skin cancer surgery

Researchers in Wales are undertaking a study to determine whether antibiotics should be prescribed to patients undergoing skin cancer surgery to reduce the risk of wound infection. 

EXCISE (EXamining antibiotics for ulCerated skIn cancer Surgical Excision) is being conducted by researchers at the Centre for Trials Research (CTR) at Cardiff University, which is funded by Health and Care Research Wales.

It aims to establish whether oral antibiotics are effective in preventing surgical site infection (SSI) in adults who have undergone surgical removal of an ulcerated skin cancer under local anaesthesia.

The project is led by Dr Rachel Abbott, a consultant dermatologist at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board who specialises in skin cancer and skin surgery.

Dr Abbott said: “Our team, together with the wider patient and clinician community, have worked hard to develop this trial and we are now looking forward to providing robust evidence to inform future patient care.”

How will the study be conducted?

Skin cancer in the UK is at an all-time high in the UK and over 200,000 people have their skin cancer removed surgically. 

Some people develop skin cancers that break through the skin surface causing a wound on the skin (called an ulcerated skin cancer) which are six times more likely to develop a wound infection after surgery. 

Doctors often prescribe antibiotics at the time of surgery to prevent wound infections, but we do not know whether antibiotics reduce the risk of getting an infection.

The randomised controlled trial involves 380 adults undergoing surgical removal of ulcerated skin cancers at NHS hospitals across the UK. 

Participants will receive either a one-off dose of antibiotics or a placebo to assess the impact on post-operative wound infection rates.

The study is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and is conducted in collaboration with Swansea Centre for Health Economics, University of York, University of Oxford, and Public Health Wales. 

It will run for three years, with results expected in 2028.